Exhibiting apparatus



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D. W. TOWER. BXHIBITING APPARATUS.

No. 511,104. Patented Dec. 19, 1893.

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UNiTED STATES PATENT Clarion.

DANIEL TOWER, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHGAN.

EXHlBlTlNG `vAPPARATU S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 511,104, dated December 19, 1893. Application filedllfaroh 14, 1893. Serial No.V 465,914. (No modeLl o a-.Zil whom it may ccf/werft.-

Be it known that l, DANIEL W. TOWER, of Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Enhibiting Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

vMy invention` relates to improvements in that class of exhibitingdevices which are adapted to exhibit materials which are usually or may be carriedin rolls; and the object of my invention is to produce an extremely simpleapparatus which is adapted to carry alarge quantity of such .material and is especially adapted for carrying maps, charts,

drawings and different kinds of fabrics; and

a further object of my invention is to arrange the apparatus so that the materials may be advantageously displayed and conveniently unrolled or rolled up when necessary.

To these ends my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, iu which similar gures of reference indicate corresponding parts in' all the views.

Figure 1 is a broken front elevation oi' the apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is avertical section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig., 3 is an enlarged detail end viewof one of the roll holders, showing a connected link in side elevation. Fig. 4 is a broken enlarged front elevation of one of the roll holders and its attaching links. Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a de tail diagrammatic view showing a modified arrangement of the carrier.

The rolls of maps, fabrics, or other material, are carried in holders, which in turn are supf ported upon an endless carrier formed by parallel chains made up of links 10, each link having at one end a hook l1 and at the opposite end an eye 12 so that the links may be conveniently hooked together or detached, and the chains thus formed run on sprocket wheels 18 which are carried on shafts 14 placed parallel with each other and one above the other, the shafts, as shown in the drawings, being arranged in the upper and lower per tions of a case 15 but they may be supported in any convenient manner, and the chains which form the carriers may be of any desired kind, or belts or equivalent devices may be substituted for the chains.

The case, as shown, is provided with a desk front 16 in which are numerous drawers 17 adapted to hold any necessary articles, and

the upper portion of the desk has a downwardly swinging lid 1S and an upwardly swinging Wooden curtain 19 like the curtain of an ordinary roll top desk. The oase 'has also on the front and near opposite ends, swinging doors `20, but as before remarked, any suitable case may be used for supporting the apparatus.V l

The upper shaft let is provided with hoistingdrums 2l over which extend endless ropes or cables 22 and by pulling upon these ropes, the drums may be turned and the shafts ll, sprocket wheels 13, and the carriers mounted .on the sprocket Wheels, also moved. Each link 10 of the chain has secured to its front l side a rplate 23, and this plate carries a nearly cylindrical socket 25 adapted to receive one end ofthe roll holder 26 which extends from the link of one chain to the corresponding link of the opposite chain, and the socket 25 has in its front edge a slot 24 to receive the squared stud 29 of the roller 28 which turns in the roll holder. The roll holder 26 is open on its front side, as shown at 27, to provide for the movement of the map, or other material carried on the roller 28 within it.

On the front side of the plate 23 is a swinging keeper plate 30 which is pivoted, at its lower end, on a screw 31 and which is slotted transversely at its upper end, as shown at 32, so as to fit upon a screw 33, and when the keeper plate is in a vertical position, it locks ythe stud 29 in place and prevents its removal. The map or other fabric Seis carried on the roller 28 so as to be readily wound thereon or unwound therefrom in the usual Way, and the roller 28 is actuated like the ordinary shade roller, which is of such common use that its constructionis not shown in detail. On the plate 23, near its lower end is a spring brake which presses one end of the roller 28, as shownbest in Figs. 3 and 4, and which there fore prevents the rollerY from moving too easily, so that when the fabric on the roller is unwound, the roller will be prevented by ICO the brake from turning back and winding up the fabric. Vhen the fabric is to be Wound up, the pressure of the brake is removed bythe finger.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. 2, that the roll holders and the rollers are arranged between every pair of links andfextend completely around the endless carrier, so that a great number of maps, drawings, or similar things may be carried upon the carrier and any one be quickly referred to and pulled out when necessary.

To make the machine ot' still greater capacity, however, the form of carrier shown in Fig. 6 may be advantageously employed; and as here shown a large drum 37 is arranged at the top, and at the bottom of the carrier are opposite pulleys or drums 3S while just beneath the drum or pulley 37 is another drum or pulley 40, and the belt or carrier 36 runs over the pulley 37 beneath the pulleys 38 and over the pulley 40, thus giving to it a great carrying surface.

Having thus described my invention, I claim asl new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An exhibiting device, comprising an end- .less carrier held to run over suitable supporting Wheels, a plurality of parallel roll holders secured to the carrier, and detachable spring rollers arranged within the roll holders, substantially as described. f

2. An exhibiting device, comprising an endless carrier, parallel roll holders secured to the carrier and having openings on one side, detachable spring rollers arranged wit-hin the roll holders, and a fastening device to lock the rollers into the holders, substantially as described.

3. An exhibiting device, comprising an endless carrier having oppositely arranged members, roll holders held between the members of the carrier and provided with longitudinal openings in one side, the holders having slotted ends to receive the studs of a spring roller, spring rollers held within the holders, and keeper plates pivoted in front of the stud slots and adapted to look the roller studs in place, substantially as described.

4. yAn exhibiting device, comprising an endless carrier mounted on oppositely arranged shafts, a drum and cable mechanism for turning the shafts, a plurality of parallel open sided roll holders secured to the carrier, and adetachable spring roller in each of the holders, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the traveling depending carrier, of the transverse roll holders carried thereby, a roller mounted in'said holders and springbrakes on the holders and bearing on the rollers, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination,with the endless chains carried on sprocket wheels, of plates secured to the links, each plate having a socket therein, an open sided roll holder heldin each pair of plate sockets, and a spring roller detachably mounted in the roll holder, substantially as described.

DANIEL W. TOWER.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE E. BIGELOW, CHARLES E. PEEPs. 

